ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Finance
Government of India Condemns False Reporting on Cairn Legal Dispute
The Government of India has strongly condemned the false reporting in certain media by some vested interests claiming that the Government of India has purportedly asked state-owned banks to withdraw funds from foreign currency accounts abroad in anticipation of the potential seizure of such accounts with regard to the Cairn legal dispute.
Condemning all such source based reports as false, the Government of India said that these are totally incorrect reports which were not based on true facts. Certain vested parties appear to have orchestrated such misleading reporting, which often relies upon unnamed sources and presents a lopsided picture of factual and legal developments in the case.
Government of India is vigorously defending its case in this legal dispute. It is a fact that the Government has filed an application on March 22, 2021 to set aside the highly flawed December 2020 international arbitral award in The Hague Court of Appeal.
The Government has raised several arguments that warrant setting aside of the award including but not limited to:  the arbitral tribunal improperly exercised jurisdiction over a national tax dispute that the Republic of India never offered and/or agreed to arbitrate;  the claims underlying the award are based on an abusive tax avoidance scheme that were a gross violation of Indian tax laws, thereby depriving Cairn’s alleged investments of any protection under the India-UK bilateral investment treaty; and  the award improperly ratifies Cairn’s scheme to achieve Double Non-Taxation, which was designed to avoid paying taxes anywhere in the world, a significant public policy concern for governments worldwide. This proceeding is pending. The Government is committed to pursuing all legal avenues to defend its case in this dispute worldwide.
It is also stated that the CEO and the representatives of Cairns have approached the Government of India for discussions to resolve the matter. Constructive discussions have been held and the Government remains open for an amicable solution to the dispute within the country’s legal framework.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Union Agriculture Minister releases Model Agriculture Produce and Livestock Contract Farming and Services  Act, 2018
The Act will provide adequate confidence to farmers and incentives to the sponsors to enter into a contract: Radha Mohan Singh
With a view to integrate farmers with bulk purchasers including exporters, agro- industries etc. for better price realization through mitigation of market and price risks to the farmers and ensuring smooth agro raw material supply to the agro industries, Union Finance Minister in the budget for 2017-18 announced preparation of a “Model Contract Farming Act” and circulation of the same to the States for its adoption. Farmer’s producer organizations  have a major role in promoting Contract Farming and Services Contract. On behalf of famers they can enter into agreement with the sponsor.
The final Model Act “The ….State/UT Agricultural Produce and Livestock Contract Farming and Services  Act 2018” has been approved by the Competent Authority and was released today at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi by Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Agriculture Minister. He also released a book titled “Intrapreneurship and Management for Farmer Producer Companies” prepared by Grant Thornton.
Salient features of Model Contract Farming Act, 2018 are:
- The Act lays special emphasis on protecting the interests of the farmers, considering them as weaker of the two parties entering into a contract.
- In addition to contract farming, services contracts all along the value chain including pre-production, production and post-production have been included.
- “Registering and Agreement Recording Committee” or an “Officer” for the purpose at district/block/ taluka level for online registration of sponsor and recording of agreement provided.
- Contracted produce is to be covered under crop / livestock insurance in operation.
- Contract framing to be outside the ambit of APMC Act.
- No permanent structure can be developed on farmers’ land/premises
- No right, title of interest of the land shall vest in the sponsor.
· Promotion of Farmer Producer Organization  / Farmer Producer Companies  to mobilize small and marginal farmers has been provided
- FPO/FPC can be a contracting party if so authorized by the farmers.
· No rights, title ownership or possession to be transferred or alienated or vested in the contract farming sponsor etc.
- Ensuring buying of entire pre-agreed quantity of one or more of agricultural produce, livestock or its product of contract farming producer as per contract.
- Contract Farming Facilitation Group  for promoting contract farming and services at village / panchayat at level provided.
- Accessible and simple dispute settlement mechanism at the lowest level possible provided for quick disposal of disputes.
- It is a promotional and facilitative Act and not regulatory in its structure
Ministry of Finance
Exchange Rate Notification No. 78/2022 - Customs 
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 , and in supersession of the Notification No. 73/2022-Customs, dated 01st September, 2022 except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs hereby determines that the rate of exchange of conversion of each of the foreign currencies specified in column  of each of Schedule I and Schedule II annexed hereto, into Indian currency or vice versa, shall, with effect from 16th September, 2022, be the rate mentioned against it in the corresponding entry in column  thereof, for the purpose of the said section, relating to imported and export goods.
SCHEDULE-I
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Sl.
No.
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Foreign Currency
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Rate of exchange of one unit of foreign currency equivalent to Indian rupees
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-
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1.
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Australian Dollar
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55.00
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52.70
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2.
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Bahraini Dinar
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217.70
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204.60
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3.
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Canadian Dollar
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61.45
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59.40
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4.
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Chinese Yuan
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11.60
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11.25
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5.
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Danish Kroner
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10.85
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10.50
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6.
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EURO
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80.80
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77.85
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7.
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Hong Kong Dollar
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10.30
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9.95
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8.
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Kuwaiti Dinar
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265.70
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249.70
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9.
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New Zealand Dollar
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49.10
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46.85
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10.
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Norwegian Kroner
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8.00
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7.75
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11.
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Pound Sterling
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93.35
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90.15
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12.
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Qatari Riyal
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22.30
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20.95
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13.
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Saudi Arabian Riyal
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21.85
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20.50
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14.
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Singapore Dollar
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57.55
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55.65
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15.
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South African Rand
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4.70
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4.40
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16.
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Swedish Kroner
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7.55
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7.30
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17.
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Swiss Franc
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84.15
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81.05
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18.
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Turkish Lira
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4.50
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4.20
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19.
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UAE Dirham
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22.35
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21.00
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20.
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US Dollar
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80.40
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78.70
SCHEDULE-II
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Sl.
No.
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Foreign Currency
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Rate of exchange of 100 units of foreign currency equivalent to Indian rupees
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-
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1.
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Japanese Yen
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56.40
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54.60
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2.
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Korean Won
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5.90
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5.55
Special Service and Features
The President of India conferred Padma Shri to Shri Raman Cheruvayal in field of Agriculture, Shri V. P. Appukuttan Poduval in field of Social Work and Shri S. R. D. Prasad in field of Sports from Kerala in Civil Investiture Ceremony
New Delhi, March 22, 2023
The President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu conferred Padma Shri to Shri Raman Cheruvayal in field of Agriculture, Shri V. P. Appukuttan Poduval in field of Social Work and Shri S. R. D. Prasad in field of Sports from Kerala in Civil Investiture Ceremony here today.
A brief citation about the life and work of awardees is given below-
1. Shri Raman Cheruvayal has been conferred Padma Shri in field of Agriculture.
Shri Raman Cheruvayal is a tribal farmer from Kerala, who is known for his contribution to sustainable agriculture and preservation of bio diversity.
Born on 6th June, 1952, at Mananthavady, Wayanad District, Shri Cheruvayal belongs to Kurichyan caste of Scheduled Tribe Community. At the age of 10, he began his pursuing in agriculture. His works in organic farming, natural resource management and conservation of traditional food crops have made him a unique figure among other natural lovers and earth researchers.
Shri Cheruvayal has a collection of 52 varieties of paddy seeds and various types of banana plants, which are unique in Kerala. Two of the varieties of paddy i.e. 'palthondi' and 'kayama' have been used as donor of gene for the development of rice varieties at Keaia Agricultural University. One of the pepper variety 'uthirankotta' has contributed towards the development of panniyoor 1, the most widely planted pepper breed of Kerala.
Shri Cheruvayal was an invitee of Belame 30 International Conference on Nature at Brazil in 2018.He was certified in outstanding contribution by Indian Institute of Rice Research in 2015 for adoption and popularization of new varities and technology of rice. Apart from this, he was invited for presentations in agriculture and organic farming conducted by various organizations and institutions across the country.
Shri Cheruvayal has been honoured with many awards. He was awarded with Plant Genome Saviour  by the Government of India and Kerala State Bio-diversity Board  in 2012. He was awarded at agricultural Fest in 2018 organized by Habitat School, Al Tallah, Ajman. He was awarded testimonials by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and participated in Kerala State Biodiversity Congress, 2019.
Ministry of Coal
Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi Urges Chattisgarh Chief Minister for Resolution of Land Related Issues to Further Enhance Coal Production
In a tweet, Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi said that he has sought an early resolution of various land related issues of South Eastern Coalfield Ltd, Chattisgarh. In a virtual meeting held today with the Chief Minister of Chattisgarh, Shri Bhupesh Baghel, the Union Minister pointed out that production of coal can be further increased from the State of Chattisgarh if such issues are resolved at the earliest. Shri Joshi also requested the Chief Minister to expedite auction of mineral blocks as per the recent reforms brought about in the mineral sector.
In a separate meeting with the senior officials of the Ministry of Coal and Coal India Ltd  to review the status of coal availability in the country, the Minister Shri Joshi urged the management to motivate the work force in order to achieve annual production targets. Shri Joshi further advised the officials to adhere to 100 days’ action plan to achieve the set target. He also emphasized on prioritising coal supplies to thermal power plants. The Minister reiterated the importance of enhancing production with safety.
Ministry of Communications
Postal Pension Adalat to be held in Mumbai on February 20, 2020
The 46th Postal Pension Adalat for pensioners/family pensioners of Postal Department will be held on February 20, 2020  at 11 a.m. in the Office of the Chief Postmaster General, Maharashtra Circle, Mumbai-400 001.
The Postal Pension Adalat will take up cases related to grievances regarding pensionary benefits pertaining to those who retired/died while in service from Department of Posts, which have not been settled within 3 months. Pensioners of Postal Department in Maharashtra and Goa States may appeal in this Pension Adalat. Cases involving purely legal points i.e. succession etc. and Grievances involving policy matters will not be considered in Pension Adalat. Pensioner can apply in the Proforma given below to Shri S.U.Pantawne, Sr. Accounts Officer/Secretary, Pension Adalat, O/o Chief Postmaster General, Maharashtra Circle, Mumbai GPO Bldg., 2nd Floor, Mumbai-400 001 on or before January 10, 2020. The applications received after 10th January 2020 will not be considered in the Pension Adalat.
DEPARTMENT OF POSTS APPLICATION FORM OF POSTAL PENSION ADALAT
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SR.No.
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SUBJECT
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DETAILS TO BE FILLED IN BY THE INDIVIDUAL/PENSIONER
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1.
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Name of the pensioner /Family pensioner with Designation at the time of retirement/death
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2.
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Name of Post Office from where retired etc. and date of retirement
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3
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PPO No.
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4
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Name of the Post Office from where Pension is being drawn
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5
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Postal address of the pensioner
with phone no.
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6
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Complaint in brief 
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7
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Date & signature of the Individual/Pensioner.
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Ministry of Defence
Raksha Mantri calls for seamless implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes in Cantonment areas;
Shri Rajnath Singh launches insurance scheme to benefit 10,000 workers in Cantonments
Ministry of Defence and Directorate General of Defence Estates  organised a webinar to improve implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes  in 62 cantonments around the country here today. It was inaugurated by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh.
In his opening remarks Shri Rajnath Singh said this webinar was an important step towards seamless delivery of benefits of various centrally sponsored schemes and in improving the overall wellbeing of approximately 21 lakh residents in the cantonments. Citing welfare schemes like Ayushman Bharat, Pradhana Mantri Awas Yojana, Smart Cities Mission, Mid-day meal scheme for school children etc, Shri Rajnath Singh said there should be no gaps in implementation of these welfare schemes in Cantonment areas. He also highlighted the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives of Ministry of Defence such as bringing out an import negative list and said government welcomed innovation towards achieving further economic progress.
Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Chief Executive Officers  of all 62 Cantonment Boards are attending the two-day webinar. It was organised with the objective to have better understanding of the implementation mechanism and funding of various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and to prepare a roadmap for extending the benefits of these to the residents of cantonment areas. The webinar was attended by the Joint Secretaries/Nodal Officers of the Ministries of Housing and Urban Affairs, Education, Health and Family Welfare, Social Justice & Empowerment and Women & Child Development. The corresponding State Mission Directors and Principal Secretaries in the concerned State departments also participated in the webinar.
The deliberations in the webinar will lay the roadmap for taking the matter forward by each Cantonment Board to optimise the outreach and maximise the beneficiaries of CSS in cantonment areas.
Raksha Mantri also launched the ‘Chhavni COVID: Yodha Sanrakshan Yojana’, a group life insurance scheme through Life Insurance Corporation , which will cover more than 10,000 employees in all 62 Cantonment Boards in event of any unfortunate fatal calamity with an insurance cover of Rs five lakhs each. The Scheme will benefit permanent and contractual employees including doctors, paramedics and sanitation staff.
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Special Service and Features
ONE NATION ONE RATION CARD IMPLEMENTED IN TAMIL NADU FROM 1ST OCTOBER
NATIONAL RATION CARD PORTABILITY FROM MARCH NEXT YEAR
Tamil Nadu has implemented the popular one nation one ration card scheme from today, 1st October, 2020 Already 25 states including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh have implemented one nation one ration card scheme. One nation One ration card is to be implemented all over the nation by March next year. Honourable Prime Minister had announced that National Food Security Act beneficiaries can avail 5kg rice/wheat per person per month free of cost till November 2020 in vieI of ongoing pandemic situation . This entitlement is over and above their regular NFSA entitlement. The ration card portability, one of the key feature of this scheme, will help labourers and other employees who are transferred from one place to other to utilise the nearby ration shops for their monthly ration entitlements.
Integrated Management of Public Distribution System was started from 2018. The main objective of the scheme is to introduce nation-wide portability of ration card holders under National Food Security Act , through ‘One Nation One Ration Card' system. This system enables the migratory ration card holders to lift their entitled food grains from any Fair Price Shop  of their choice in the country by using their existing ration card issued in their home States after biometric authentication on electronic Point of Sale  devices installed at the Fair price shops.
There are 34,773 fair price shops and 2.09crore family cards in Tamil Nadu with more than 6.75crore beneficiaries. In Tamil Nadu, all ration cards were converted to digital smart cards in 2017. In the state, biometric authentication of electronic point of sale- ePOS devices have already been operationalised . All the existing ePOS devices were upgraded and integrated with biometric finger print reader. This was done in all fair price shops under Public distribution system. Shri Tarun, a government official said that one nation one ration card system will be really beneficial for people who shift residences from one place to other. It will help people who have been transferred to other districts or other states to buy ration items through portable ration card. Earlier ration card had to be surrendered and fresh ration card applied for other state transfer. In Tiruchirapalli, public distribution shop dealers have been instructed to give fortified rice along with regular rice. They have been asked to give 5 plus 15 or 10 plus 10 Kg of fortified and regular rice and make sure that by the end of October, supply of regular rice should be completed.
One nation one ration card scheme will definitely help people who were forced to shift their residence for employment or other purposes. Migrant labourers were affected by covid 19 lockdown and they found it difficult to utilise the essential items given through public distribution shops. Once ration card portability is implemented all over the country, it is going to really benefit labourers who had to shift the place of residence for jobs.
Free rice through PDS
fortified rice bag
(
Ministry of Culture
Various development projects have been sanctioned to mark 100th anniversary of massacre of Jallianwala Bagh-Shri Prahlad Singh Patel
National Implementation Committee  headed by the Home Minister has approved the following development project at Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial:-
- To renovate, upgrade and provide basic amenities at the memorial.
- Museum curation and museum interiors.
- To develop Light & Sound show/projection mapping.
Work has started from 1st June, 2019
Cultural programmes planned for the commemoration period are kavi sammelan, plays, exhibitions and seminars across the country.
This information was given by the Minister of State  of Culture and Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Defence
Atmanirbhar Bharat in Defence Sector
Total 41 AoNs worth Rs.86623.55 crore have been accorded to domestic vendors for capital acquisition since May, 2020.
Guidelines issued by the Government for mandatory purchase of items domestically and other action taken by the Government to ensure domestic procurement are enumerated below:-
- Ministry of Defence has notified two “Positive Indigenisation lists” dated 21st August, 2020 and dated 31st May, 2021 of total 209 defence items including Weapons/system/equipment/ammunition along with indicative timelines after which there would be an embargo on their import.
- Department of Defence Production has notified 46 items under the latest Public Procurement Order 2017 notified by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade , for which there is sufficient local capacity and competition, the procurement of these items has to be done from local suppliers irrespective of the purchase value.
- As per the Public Procurement Policy 2017 Dated 16th September, 2020 which states that “in procurement of all goods, services or works and with estimated value of purchases less than Rs. 200 crore in accordance with Rule 161 of GFR 2017, Global Tender enquiry shall not be issued except with the approval of competent authority as designated by Department of Expenditure”.
Further, for the year 2021-22, the allocation for domestic procurement has been enhanced compared to previous year and this year it is about 64.09% of the allocated amount for military modernization .
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Shri Prof Sougata Ray in Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM pays homage to soldiers on Kargil Vijay Diwas
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has paid homage to soldiers on Kargil Vijay Diwas.
“On Kargil Vijay Diwas, a grateful nation pays homage to all those who served the nation during Operation Vijay. Our brave soldiers ensured that India remains protected and gave a befitting answer to those who tried to vitiate the atmosphere of peace.
India will always remember with pride, the outstanding political leadership provided by Atal Ji during Operation Vijay. He led from the front, supported our armed forces and clearly articulated India’s stand at the world stage", the Prime Minister said.
Ministry of Defence
Calorie Intake of Soldiers Posted at Siachen
The one day entitled ration has adequate calories to meet the energy expenditureof soldiers posted in Siachen.
The ration scales are designed based upon nutritional requirement of a soldier as per their energy expenditure under different climatic conditions. In High Altitude Areas , like Siachen, special scales of rations are authorised, to cater for the energy expenditure in such conditions. The energy expenditure and energy intake for troops deployed above 12000 feet as per study conducted by Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences  is as under:-
- Total energy expenditure – 4270 kcal 
- Total energy intake from existing rations – 5350 kcal
Thus, it can be seen that the calorific intake from the ration is more than adequate.
A well-established robust mechanism exists to ensure that quality rations meeting the defence food specifications, catering to the troops preference as well as the nutritional requirements are issued at all locations. In Siachen too, quality rations corresponding to the choice of troops, and their nutritional requirement is always ensured.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Shripad Naik in a written reply toSmt Shanta Chhetriin Rajya Sabha today.
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